Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html

Jamie Oliver speaks about the value of education in his TED talk. Jamie was given the TED award and a wish. His talk addresses the issue of obesity and lack of education, in school and at home. Jamie speaks of many things but has three main points. First, is the corporate world. The food industry in America has to change. They have increasingly changed to processed foods and mislabel products. Second, is the home. Americans need to reassess their homes and their meals. Parents need to cook at home and teach their children to do the same. And third, is school. School is America’s tool to help every person thrive. This is not working when many children do not know about food or how to eat healthy meals. 31,000,000 children eat school lunches every day, and most of them are not cooked. Schools need to educate their children and lead through example that home cooked food is the best way to extend their life and happiness. But the good thing about all of this is that it is fixable. There are ways to change the food industry and educate children; America just needs to take the initiative to do it. Jamie Oliver’s wish is to have a movement to educate kids about food, inspire families to cook at home, and to fight obesity. I thought this was a really interesting talk because Jamie gives real life examples and shows the audience exactly what obesity does to families. He isn’t just telling everyone that they need to change, but tells them how to do it, and why it will help them in the long run. My dream is to be a chef, and I love how Jamie uses his love and talents to give back to the community.

Jamie Oliver is essentially a chef. But he is also more than that. He has produced television shows, written books, and opened restaurants. Jamie grew up working in the kitchen of his parent’s pub/restaurant in Essex. At 16 he left school to go continue his education at Westminster Catering College. He then went on to work at multiple restaurants and was eventually aired on television in an interview and then offered his own show. “The Naked Chef” was Jamie’s own cooking show. It talked about the simplicity of food and it led him to write multiple books on the topic. But at about this time, Jamie realized that he also wanted to give back to the food community. He has created 4 foundations, all teaching people about food and how to live eating healthily. Jamie has also made documentaries, showing the world what goes on behind the scenes at schools and in the food industry. In all Jamie has written 17 books, starred in many shows, and been interviewed many times about his philosophy. In 2010, he was given the TED award and a wish. Jamie Oliver is a very determined person who shows his strength through his actions. He is proactive and has created the many foundations to show his determination to help the world become a better place. His compassion is what led him to give back in the first place. He is a father and understands what other families are going through. Growing up surrounded by food, he fully understands the scope of its effects on the world and has used that to better educate others.

I am going to Southern Utah University next year for college. I am majoring in Nutrition- Food Science. I picked this major because food is one of my passions. I love making it, reading about it and eating it. One day I would love to help schools or hospitals create healthy meal plans for their clients, but I want it to taste good. After college, I plan to either go to graduate school or culinary school. In graduate school I would major in business or train to become a dietitian. Culinary school is my dream, I would love to be a pastry chef, and possibly bake healthy sweets. As for jobs, I want to internship at a restaurant to learn what really goes on behind the scenes or take introductory culinary classes. I know that the road to being a chef is a very long one, and I will most likely start off doing menial jobs, but it’s something I would love to do. The fact that Jamie is able to follow his passion and be a chef while still giving back to the community shows me that if I am dedicated enough, I can reach my goal. I hope one day everyone here can eat from my restaurant, my kitchen, or my product because I want to help the normal person live a better life.

- Ana Jaworski